The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers were outplayed by the Arellano University (AU) Chiefs, 71-73, absorbing their second loss in #NCAA100, today, Oct. 4, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

Roger Ondoa opened the game with a three-pointer for the men in green and white. However, things quickly took a turn for the Blazers as foul trouble and turnovers immediately gave the Arellano Chiefs the upper hand. T-Mc Ongotan ended the first quarter with a three-point basket to give the Legarda squad a comfortable two-digit lead, 11-23.

Ongotan continued to lead the way for the Chiefs, while a solid team effort by Gab Cometa, Ian Torres, and Allen Liwag slimmed the margin to only six points for the Blazers. A Matthew Oli dagger trey and Torres midrange jumper fired up the Taft Squad to end the half with a single-point deficit, 39-40.

Back-to-back Cometa triples energized the Blazers. Fortunately, things started to come together for the men in green and white as they slowly found their groove to secure a seven-point lead. However, a Lorenz Capulong layup and Ernjay Geronimo three-pointer erased Benilde’s advantage to end the third period, 58-56.

A see-saw battle commenced in the final quarter until a bad pass by Liwag changed the tide of the match as Geronimo put the Arellano ahead by four points. With twenty-four seconds remaining on the game clock, a Jhomel Ancheta layup once again gave hope to the Blazers. However, the men in green and white did not convert on their final possession to end the match, 71-73.

Geronimo was hailed player of the game with 14 points and 2 rebounds.

The Blazers aim to bounce back in their next game against the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Bombers on Oct. 8 at the MOA Arena in Pasay City with a live telecast on the Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and Youtube pages.

Box Scores:

DLS-CSB (71): Liwag 18, Cometa 15, Sanchez 10, Torres 9, Oli 7, Ondoa 3, Morales 3, Ancheta 2, Cajucom 2, Turco 2

AU (73): Ongotan 16, Geronimo 14, Abiera 10, Capulong 8, Valencia 8, Vinoya 7, Hernal 5, Libang 4, Borromeo 1